Wedding Tip Wednesday: DIY Centerpieces

Pinterest has revolutionized wedding décor in today’s world. Lots of people have chosen to do DIY centerpieces to add a personal touch and also to save money. I think it’s a great idea and I love seeing brides and grooms and their families working on projects for the wedding together! If you choose to make your own centerpieces, they don’t have to be expensive, over the top or extravagant. Sometimes less is more! Ask your family and friends to start saving wine corks, bottles, jars, cans, frames, etc once you decide what you want to do. If you know someone who does beautiful woodwork or has great calligraphy skills, ask if they’d be willing to help! Having people you are close to be part of making your vision become a reality is so special.

Check out some of the DIY centerpieces from the sweet brides I’ve worked with in the past!

xoxo,

Amanda Grace

Wedding Tip Wednesday: Guest Seating

Creating a seating chart for your guests can be confusing and overwhelming in the final weeks leading up to your wedding as you collect RSVPs. But it doesn’t have to be! It can be fun to group people together who know each other well or friends you know will get along sitting at the same table. Making your escort cards can be a fun little project for you and your friends or family. Make sure when you decide what you want to use for your seating assignment, it’s something that is easy to change quickly as people add and drop last minute. And always make extra! Once your layout and table assignments are done, group your cards together in ziplock bags for your coordinator to easily display on your wedding day. If you are doing a choice-of dinner, it’s important to have an indicator on your escort cards for the catering staff to identify who is getting what entrée for dinner. This can be as simple as a colored ribbon or different colored marking that your guests will barely recognize but the staff will know.

Another idea is doubling your escort cards as your favors! For their desert wedding, Ashley and Drew used mini succulent plants as their escort cards for guests to find their tables and then had guests take them home to remember their wedding weekend in the desert. For Meagan and Cory’s wedding, Cory custom built a rack to hang all the escort cards on at cocktail hour that matched the venue perfectly. The possibilities are endless and it doesn’t have to be complicated!

Check out some of the cute escort cards brides have created below:)

xoxo,
Amanda Grace

Wedding Tip Wednesday: Welcome Table

When guests arrive at your wedding, there is typically a guest book, place for gifts and cards and a sign or attendant directing guests where to go for the ceremony. You can check out my blog on guestbooks here but keep in mind when your guests arrive, the welcome area you create is the first impression you give your guests of your wedding day. This is a great place to incorporate some special elements, honor family members who can’t be in attendance, use custom created signs or beautiful vintage furniture. You can make this as extravagant or simple as you’d like! When we sit down and talk about your wedding, I’d love to help create a vision for a welcome table and area for your guests. And when you book with Grace in the Details, I will bring a pre-ceremony water station for your guests if it’s not included in your venue package! Contact me now about booking your consultation and getting your date secured on the calendar!

Check out these stunning welcome tables created by some of the brides I've worked with!

xoxo,

Amanda Grace

Wedding Tip Wednesday: Your Guestbook

Your guestbook is a great way to remember who shared your special day. There are a lot of details and things that happen on your wedding day, you don't want to forget who came to celebrate! There are so many creative ways to make your guest book these days!

You could do a thumbprint tree where guests sign their name by the thumbprint they add to a canvas. A simple photo book is great for sharing your engagement photos with guests. A unique approach would be have a calendar filled with engagement photos and have guests sign on their birthdays so you can remember them all year long in your first year of marriage. Having people snap photos and sign them and tuck them inside is always a fun interactive way for guests to leave you a message. Buying a beautiful book to start as a guestbook at your wedding and later a guestbook for your home to keep as guests visit you over the years is a great way remember the people you have shared memories with over the years! There are so many ways you can add a personal touch that goes with your wedding vibe through something as small as your guestbook!

Check out these guestbook ideas below!

xoxo,

Amanda Grace

Venue Spotlight: Quail Haven Farm

Quail Haven Farm is one of my favorite venues to work at! Not only is it adorable, the staff is amazing, the owner is the sweetest and the space is perfect! My very first wedding in 2014 was there and ever since I’ve been in love. The owner of the property, Lindy, is great and we hit it off right away! I love working with her and getting to do weddings on her farm. The first wedding I did there it was pouring rain but with the help of Lindy and her staff, we were able to keep everyone dry! (read more about that wedding here) A year later I had the privilege of working with Lindy again for Meagan and Cory’s wedding and it was perfection!

If you’re looking for a quaint, rustic, down to earth atmosphere, look no farther! Quail Haven Farm has everything you’re looking for with an antique barn in the backdrop, bridal cottage for you to get ready in, outdoor ceremony, a newly built cocktail terrace and covered reception space. You work directly with Lindy and she helps you with layout, rentals and all the details for your wedding day on the farm. Lindy and I are in touch too to make sure we are all on the same page and your wedding day is seamless! She books quickly so reach out to her today if you are interested in a tour and a date for 2016 or 2017!

Below are some pictures from the weddings I’ve done on the farm!

Down on the Farm

Meagan & Cory

10/10/15

Meagan and Cory got married at one of my favorite venues, Quail Haven Farm in Vista, CA. The James wedding was my second time getting to work with Lindy at the Farm and she is simply the best! I love working there because Lindy is amazing, her team is so helpful, and the space attracts the kindest, most down to earth brides.

The weather was perfect for Meagan and Cory’s day with family from all over, including Australia! They had a taco man, churro cart, and lots of dancing. Every single detail was thought through by Meagan, the most organized and relaxed bride I have ever worked with! At the rehearsal Meagan surrendered her giant binder to me and was able to relax and enjoy the weekend with her family and friends. My favorite thing about my job is making sure a bride gets to truly enjoy their wedding day knowing that they don’t have to worry about a single thing! I’m thankful that I got to work with Lindi again and for the chance to help Meagan create the day of her dreams!

xoxo,

Amanda Grace

Wedding Tip Wednesday: Favors

Making favors for your guests can be a fun part of the wedding planning and crafting process! Sometimes your family may want to pitch in a help create whatever you choose to do. Your favors can be a treat the bride and groom love, something from a country you’ve traveled to or have family from, something fun that matches the theme of your wedding or something homemade from your family secret recipe book! Choosing a simple way to say thank you to guests can be a fun project for your family to work on together!

For Will and Grace’s wedding, Grace used to work at a bakery so her friends gifted the bride and groom with homemade loaves of bread for guests to take home. Ashley’s and Drew’s family planted small succulents for their guests that doubled as escort cards for their desert wedding. Since Cory was from Australia, Meagan and Cory chose to give guests Australian candies as a take away. Jamie and Mark shared homemade caramels with their guests as a parting gift. At their Angel’s Stadium reception, Lindi and Steve’s wedding guests enjoyed peanuts and ballpark gummies. It’s always so fun to see the unique ideas brides and grooms come up with to say thank you to their guests!

Below are some ideas to help you brainstorm the perfect favor for the people who help you celebrate!

xoxo,

Amanda Grace

Sunny San Diego Afternoon

Jamie & Mark

9/20/15

Jamie and I were friends in college and I remember spending hours upon hours studying on her couch late into the night. When Jamie told me she was getting married and friends would be flying in from all over the country, I instantly marked my calendar! It was so fun working with Jamie because she was so easy-going and organized. After dinner one night (before she even got officially engaged!), we spent months going through details and thinking about the best way to make her vision come to life.

Her wedding day was nothing short of stunning. Jamie and Mark tied the knot at Carmel Mountain Ranch Golf Course on a beautiful afternoon in Sunny San Diego. Jamie looked gorgeous and every detail had an elegant touch of Jamie and Mark. Her sweet nature is one that is so inviting and warm and when I met Mark, he was the same way! The way they make each other smile and when they laugh together, it’s infectious. It was such a joy to work with Jamie and get to know Mark and see friends from college come to town to celebrate such a sweet couple!

xoxo,

Amanda Grace